King Richard Actor and recent recipient for the Best Actor in a leading role, Will Smith has been banned for a decade for administering the slap of the century to fellow Comedian Chris Rock, during the 94th staging of the Oscar awards last month.
The ban means Smith will not be presenting one of the major awards at next year’s Oscars, as is tradition for the best actor winner.
The move also comes after a meeting of the academy’s Board of Governors to discuss a response to Smith’s actions.
According to reports, Smith stormed the stage to administer a fiery blow to fellow comedian Chris Rock for his comment about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s autoimmune condition Alopecia.
Moments after the assault took place, those present initially wondered if the punch was part of a stunt, however, the colorful language from Smith quickly confirmed it wasn’t any kind of joke at all.
“The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage,” the academy said in a statement.
In the interim, the Academy also apologized for its handling of the situation and allowing Smith to stay and accept his best actor award for “King Richard.”
“During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry,” the academy said. “This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented.”
The academy also expressed deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances.
Furthermore, the academy’s statement did not address whether Smith could be nominated for Oscars during his 10-year ban, nor did it take any action to revoke Smith’s Academy Award.
